SOME 170 Bureau of Immigration (BI) officers assigned at the international airports in Clark, Davao, and Zamboanga have tested negative for the new coronavirus.
BI Port Operations Acting Chief Grifton Medina said all immigration personnel assigned in the three airports were found to be Covid-free after undergoing rapid antibody tests for the virus.
Of the 170 BI personnel, 128 assigned at Clark airport in Angeles City were tested last June 23 by a medical team from the Provincial Capitol of Pampanga.
The 30 BI employees at the Davao City airport were tested last June 7, while 12 personnel at the Zamboanga port were tested June 18 by medical frontliners from the local governments of the two cities.
Medina said BI personnel assigned at the airports in Mactan-Cebu, Kalibo, and Iloilo have yet to undergo the rapid tests.
He said he already instructed the head immigration supervisors of the three airports to immediately comply with BI chief's directive for the conduct of mandatory Covid-19 tests for all BI employees.
"They were again advised to coordinate with the local government units (LGUs) in their effort to arrange the conduct of the tests which are already overdue," Medina added.
He said the same instruction was relayed to 28 BI employees at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) who have not yet been tested for coronavirus.
On June 5, 2020, BI Commissioer Jaime Morente issued a memorandum making the tests mandatory for all of the more than 3,000 BI officials and employees nationwide.